Was Gavin Brindley a steal at #34?
It seems the CBJ were lucky to be able to pick Brindley where they did
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports - Was Gavin Brindley a steal at #34?Everyday that goes by, it seems that the Columbus Blue Jackets got a steal when they drafted Gavin Brindley at #34. The Hockey News official mock draft had him being picked around 23rd, while others had him going a few picks later.
Today, The Daily Faceoff released their 2023-24 Prospect Pool Breakdown about Columbus and had Brindley at #5, ahead of Stanislav Svozil, Corson Ceulemans and Dmitry Voronkov. As deep as the pool is, it took a few by surprise to see him that high. The fact of the matter is, Gavin Brindley is good.
Last season was his freshman season with the University of Michigan, and he did really well. In 41 games with the Wolverines, he had 12 goals and 38 points. It can be noted that he played most of the year good friend and fellow CBJ draftee Adam Fantilli. But 38 points as a freshman is really good and it will be interesting to see how he does with different line mates.
The 5-foot-9 170-pound Brindley is a bulldog on the ice. He’s fast, a tenacious forechecker, and can be relied on in the defensive zone. Everything I’ve seen from him, shows me that he never stops moving while on the ice. He’s also very good at always knowing what’s happening on the ice and anticipates plays ahead of time.
Brindley played for the U-20 Team USA squad last year and in seven games had four points. He is also invited to this years Team USA camp for the Summer Showcase. He will represent Team Blue during the split squad camp.
He will be going into his sophomore season at UM and is fully expected to put up a good number of points for the Wolverines. Can he match or exceed Fantillis 65 points that he had this past season? Anything can happen, but if Brindley can stay healthy, he could definitely rack up points like crazy.
Brindley adds yet another wrinkle into the CBJ prospect pool. If Brindley does have an outstanding year, he might want to turn pro after his sophomore year. This is a problem that the CBJ have never had in their existence, too much talent.
Related: Jackets pick Brindley at #34
